On August 31, Earl C. Ravenal died. He was an expert on foreign policy and had sought the Libertarian Party presidential nomination for 1984. On the fourth ballot, he lost by one vote to David Bergland. Ravenal was 88 and lived in Rhode Island, although he had second home in Maryland, and he died there. See this obituary. Thanks to Andy Craig for the link.
Darcy Richardson has decided not to seek the Reform Party presidential nomination, according to a comment he posted at Independent Political Report on September 12.
On September 12, the California Republican Party and its state chair filed this brief in Patterson v Padilla, the case over whether the State Constitution bars the legislature from requiring presidential primary candidates to reveal their income tax returns.
The brief depends on the repeated attempts of former State Senator Al Alquist to reform California’s presidential primary so that all recognized candidates would automatically appear. Alquist started this mission in 1967, but he was repeatedly frustrated when Governor Ronald Reagan vetoed his bills on the presidential primary. Finally he resorted to a state constitutional amendment, which could not be vetoed. The brief points out that when the bill putting the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot was passed by the legislature in 1971, the analysis of the bill said the amendment, if enacted, meant “The Secretary of State would be required to place all publicly recognized candidates for President on the primary ballots.” The ballot pamphlet for question 4 made similar statements.
Utah voters elect a state school board, with one member being elected from each of 15 districts. On September 11, the Utah Supreme Court upheld a state law that says these elections should be partisan, starting in 2020. Opponents of partisan elections had filed a lawsuit, arguing that the State Constitution forbids partisan elections for state school board. They argued that the State Constitution says, “No religious or partisan test or qualification shall be required as a condition of employment.” Here is the opinion. Richards v Cox, 2019-UT-57. It says that that part of the constitution was never intended to apply to elected office.
Local school boards are chosen in non-partisan elections.
The Cranston Herald, a daily newspaper in Rhode Island, has this interview with former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee. Chafee seems to say he will seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination.
